Microsoft on a boon for tech managers

SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp. is making progress on developing software that makes it easier for information technology managers to maintain and operate networked computer systems, according to a customer e-mail sent by chief executive Steve Ballmer.

The memo provides an update on Microsoft's efforts around a program that the Redmond, Washington-based computer giant calls the "Dynamic Systems Initiative," aimed at reducing the time and effort needed to maintain complex company computer systems that included servers, data centers, desktop computer laptops, mobile phones and other equipment.

Ballmer said that customers have told him that "the growing complexity of today's computing systems is driving up costs and limiting the potential of information technology to work on the toughest business problems."

To solve that problem, Ballmer said that Microsoft is preparing software that will be able to automate many of the installation and administration tasks required maintaining computer networks.

After launching a key program called Systems Management Server last year, Microsoft is planning to release another systems management software product called "Microsoft Operations Manager." Those two programs will eventually be combined in a single product called "System Center," Microsoft said.

"The goal is to build a comprehensive set of solutions for the Windows platform that can help automate the design and management of the increasingly complex and distributed computing systems that customers need today," Ballmer wrote in the e-mail.

Other providers of enterprise systems, such as HP and IBM have also launched efforts to make it easier for companies to install and run complex computer systems.

©Reuters